Please suggest a day trip from London.

[AnnaG]

Dear All -

Husband and I will be spending five days in London in early June 2017, at the tail end of a tour of Ireland. We can take a train or a bus, or would consider hiring a driver for the day. I was thinking Salisbury but am absolutely open to your suggestions. We have been to Bath and the Cotswolds, so would rather visit a new destination for us.

Clearly, if we hire a driver we can cover more territory. I would appreciate your thoughts and recommendations in this regard.

Thank you,
Anna

 

[Pauline]

Salisbury is lovely - an interesting town and the cathedral is fabulous. We were there a year ago for a night. We also spent a week there several years ago.

Have you been to Stonehenge? You could take the train to Salisbury, then a driver or bus to Stonehenge.

Another option might be the train south to Brighton on the coast. Or train to Oxford.

 

[AnnaG]

Pauline, thank you! Yes, we have been to Stonehenge and to Oxford but not to Brighton, so it is a consideration.

Is there a way to get to Avebury from Salisbury without a car, should we settle on Salisbury? Should I look for a driver for the day or would this end up being too pricey of an outing?

Would Monday be a good day for this outing? Do shops in small towns close on Mondays as they do in continental Europe? I almost assume that Sunday would not be a great day for this.

 

[Pauline]

A driver for the day will be expensive I think. I am not sure about getting to Avebury, I don't think you can get there easily by public transportation from Salisbury.

One option would be train to Salisbury, a few hours there, car service to Avebury (1 hour drive), an hour there while driver waits, then have driver take you to nearest train station to return to London (probably Marlborough).

Lookup trains on www.thetrainline.com.

If you spent the whole day in Salisbury you could go to Evensong. We went to that once and it was more religious than I expected but was nice to experience. I am not sure if it is everyday. Check their website. http://www.salisburycathedral.org.uk/services

If you decide on Avebury, the driver could take you to Silbury Hill which is close by but many people miss it. Info on Avebury here: http://www.sloweurope.com/daytrip/1434/avebury/

You go to Avebury first, train or car service from London, then onto Salisbury and take the train back.

Shops close Sunday, but will be open Monday.

 

[Debra]

My choices would be Cambridge or Canterbury or Leeds. All accessible by train. If you haven't been to Oxford that's a good choice too.

 

[TravelloJ]

It depends how far you are looking to venture of course Oxford and Windsor are both great towns that are not too far away.

 

[Eleanor]

Debra, when you say Leeds, I assume you mean Leeds Castle in Kent and not the city in Yorkshire? Leeds Castle is wonderful moated castle and definitely worth visiting.
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/stately_homes_castles/england/south/leeds/index.html

Canterbury is also a good choice and can be done by train from London. The cathedral is wonderful.
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/churches/england/south/canterbury/index.html

Other suggestions, again do-able by train, would be Windsor, Hampton Court or Knole House in Kent. This is sometimes described as a calendar house, as it had 365 rooms, 52 staircases, 12 entrances and seven courtyards. It has lovely gardens and is set in a big deer park.